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I love a good thriller, especially the ones that keep you guessing. The Proposal by S.E Lynnes is absolutely one of those books.

Thank you to Bookouture for a free e-copy of this book via NetGalley. For complete transparency, there are affiliate links within this post.

As you were.

Title: The Proposal

Author: S. E. Lynes

Page count: 324

The first thing you should know, dear reader, is that I am dead.

And so The Proposal begins. The book is set out in a series of blog posts and diary entries written by author, and lead character, Pippa Gates. After an encounter with a door-to-door salesman who sells her his life story for £200. Intrigued yet?

Lynes keeps you on your toes throughout the book, leading you in different directions away from your assumptions. Just over half way through, the twist comes and, boy, is it a good’un! From there, the story descends into organised chaos (in a good way!) until the dark and foreshadowed ending.

This book is a masterpiece in suspense. As a murder/thriller junkie, I didn’t see the twist coming. I was delighted when my assumed twist was completely wrong! It shocked me, made me scroll back to an earlier chapter to find the clues, and then smile like an idiot when I realised I’d been played. Honestly, such a good twist!

The writing style is fantastic. There’s a clear difference between the diary entries and the blog posts. There’s a narrative being played out here. The overly happy, perfect life portrayed in the blog posts is beautifully contrasted by the dark, twisted reality portrayed in the diary.

Have you read The Proposal? What did you think? If not, does it sound like one for you?

Autumn is the best season. No ifs, no buts, there is literally no competition. In the UK, it’s a bit of a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it season as we don’t seem to have the falling leaves and cold crisp weather for very long (then it’s just rain until March!).

Don’t get me wrong, I wish autumn could also have the long day of summer but, in case you aren’t of this mind (yet), here’s a list to sway your mind.

1. Autumn is the perfect temperature

It’s not too hot, it’s not too cold. You can wear a jumper or a jacket with your summer clothes, and you won’t feel cold.

2. Jumpers galore

I love jumpers. Preferably chunky ones, or ones with embroidery on them! I love pulling out my jumpers from storage (read: under the bed) and knowing that I’ll be nice and cosy all through the season.

3. Stews and hotpots are back!

The easiest and most tasty meal prep solutions ever. Stew, some cheesy polenta and a metric tonne of gravy = the perfect autumn meal.

4. These colours

Photo by Efdal YILDIZ from Pexels

‘Nough said, really.

5. Cold outside, warm inside

Nothing says autumn like setting your boiler to come on in twice a day. You come in from work and it’s so toasty inside that your glasses slightly steam up – that’s autumn to me.

6. Hot chocolate becomes acceptable at any point in the day

I feel judged drinking hot chocolate outside of autumn and winter, so I’m always grateful for the opportunity to drink it all day everyday.

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

7. The sun has the most perfect aesthetic

The sunsets. The sunrises. The gorgeous shades of pink and orange and yellow that fill the sky – b e a utiful.

8. Saying “I stayed in all weekend” doesn’t get you a funny look

It’s cold, and likely raining, so no one thinks you’re strange for not leaving the house all weekend anymore.

9. Mulled wine and cider EVERYWHERE

Mulled cider is my absolute favourite thing about autumn. Mulled wine, too! The smell immediately takes me back to bonfire nights as a kid with sparklers, sticky toffee apples and a hunt for any hedgehogs hiding in the pyre.

10. It’s almost Christmas!

I’m so excited for Christmas this year. I’m determined to have a Christmas in our new home – fingers crossed we move in before then!

What’s your favourite season? If it’s Autumn, would you add anything to this list?

I love autumn. I can get the jumpers out, consume copious amounts of cinnamon (and it be acceptable!) and the heating goes back on to make everything nice and toasty!

Autumn just has an aesthetic that fits with mine. Colour wise, there’s reds, yellows, oranges and browns. I can layer up my clothes, bringing out my chunky knits and fleece-lined tights to layer with dresses and jeans. French tucking jumpers, inspired by Queer Eye, will be my go to this winter – I just need to order some more jeans!

About Me

Hi there!

I'm Natalie!
I'm a bookish, London-based blogger who is desperately failing at juggling full-time work, a blog and the mountainous TBR pile by my bed. Oh, and I'm buying a house - so, there's that too!